


Liebestraum No.3

by onigiriwoozi



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Classical Music, M/M, One Shot, Slice of Life, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:40:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26420533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onigiriwoozi/pseuds/onigiriwoozi
Summary: In which whenever your soulmate listens to a song on repeat, you would hear it too.Soonyoung has been hearing a piece played on a piano for days now, and today he finally got to hear it live.
Relationships: Kwon Soonyoung | Hoshi/Lee Jihoon | Woozi
Comments: 12
Kudos: 101





	Liebestraum No.3

**Author's Note:**

> (the song would be heard by your soulmate If the person listens to it for more than a day with a minimum of five plays a day)
> 
> enjoy!

Kwon Soonyoung hates classical music. He has never really understood the point of listening to boring music which are either too repetitive or didn’t have a definite flow to it, making it sound like lazily mixing notes and smashing keys. 

“Hey! Can you please take a break for a few minutes? I’ve been listening to you play that piece for more than 3 hours now. My ears are about to fall off,” Soonyoung told Seokmin who was in the middle of another run through. 

“Hmmm, nah,” Seokmin said as he continued to play again, all over from the beginning.

Soonyoung buried his head on the pillow beside him as he begged his best friend to stop playing again. Eventually Seokmin did, with a proud smile on his face as he realized just how much he’s improved since last week.

“Thank god you stopped. I bet your soulmate is already in pain since you’ve played that piece non-stop for days now.”

“Well it isn’t really my fault! Prof said I needed to join this competition in order to make up for my recent absences. It also wasn’t my fault that I had explosive diarrhea,” the younger said with a sad pout, leaving the other laughing upon hearing the complaint again from him.

“Though I think this is a good opportunity to work hard and test my limits,” Seokmin continued. “Might as well use this competition as a way for me to experience more things too,” he said, making Soonyoung feel proud of him again. Seokmin never lets an opportunity go to waste, so he always welcomed any challenge with a smile on his face. 

“Okay fine, I’ll head out for a bit so you can play peacefully without me complaining,” Soonyoung said as he stood up from his bed to take his jacket and proceeded to open the door. “Want anything while I’m out?”

“Pizza please.”

“Sure”

* * *

“Have you heard of the piano competition two weeks from now?” Mingyu told Jihoon as they walked towards their building.

“Uh, no? Why?”

“I think you should join,” Mingyu said with a smirk. 

“For the hundredth time Kim Mingyu, I’m not joining any of those competitions you keep telling me about,” Jihoon replied, almost bumping into one of their classmates from History class.

“But why not?” Mingyu persisted while smacking Jihoon’s shoulder, earning a glare from him. “You’ve always had this hidden talent on playing the piano, why won’t you try joining competitions? I bet you’ll win, no questions asked.”

“I’d rather just stay at the dorm and make music that’s why.”

“See? This is exactly one of the reasons why you should join! Stop treating our room like a bat cave, go out and make the most out of your music genius self!” At this point Mingyu’s voice was already gaining volume, making other people peacefully walking to their next class look at him strangely. 

“Mingyu, no.” Jihoon said, making his words final. “Besides, I still have to work on this song I’m doing for Music Prod. I need to work harder, you know that,” he continued with a small frown on his face, remembering how he was always told that he needed to make a different sound this time. 

“Oh! Did you know that anyone who joins said competition would gain additional credit?” Upon hearing what Mingyu said, Jihoon abruptly stopped walking and looked his friend in the eye. “Yes Jihoon, you heard me. I know how much you need that too, so please?” 

“Fine, I’ll think about it,” though in Jihoon’s mind he already said yes.

* * *

Soonyoung was about to open the door to their shared dorm when he heard Seokmin playing the piano again from the inside. It was already 8pm in the evening and he just wanted to rest his head from his full-on half-day stay at the library to review for an upcoming exam. So, hearing his roommate playing classical music wasn’t really a welcoming sound to hear. 

“Ya! Please I just want to rest and have dinner can you sto-“ Soonyoung said as he opened the door. He was cut off when he saw Seokmin lying on his bed and peacefully playing games on his phone, very far away from their piano on the corner of the room. 

“What? I’m not playing right now. I actually wasn’t gonna practice tonight,” the younger replied, then proceeded to tap away at his phone. 

Soonyoung then realized that the playing hasn’t stopped, which only meant one thing.

“Oh no. Can you hear what I’m hearing?” Soonyoung asked.

“Uhh, me tapping on my phone?”

Upon Seokmin’s reply, Soonyoung just proceeded to stare at the wall, eyes distant while listening to the clashing of notes playing on his head.

“Oh my god, Soonyoung is it really happening?” Seokmin said while jumping up from his bed, completely disregarding his phone and focusing on Soonyoung’s unamused face.

The older slowly walked towards his bed, sitting down and holding his head on his hands. He can’t believe that the first time he would experience this soulmate thing was through a classical piece. He imagined his soulmate to have the same taste as him, someone who listened to upbeat pop music or even alternative rock. But no, his other half suprisingly loves classical music, which makes Soonyoung question if this whole soulmate real was really accurate to begin with. 

“What piece is your soulmate listening to? Oh my god is it from Liszt? Tchaikovsky? Oh, maybe from Debussy, considering that he or she’s your soulm-“

“I don’t even know what the hell you’re talking about,” Soonyoung said, irritation evident from his voice, stopping the other from talking. Seokmin decided to sit beside his roommate and didn’t say a thing. He figured that Soonyoung was probably disappointed at what his soulmate was listening to, so Seokmin stayed silent and just decided that providing his presence was the best way to deal with things right now. 

Eventually, the playing stopped and Soonyoung finally brought his head up from his hands, his face unreadable.

“Soonyoung, I know you didn’t like what your soulmate just listened to, but you have to accept that they’re your soulmate. Trust me, you’ll no doubt like them when you guys meet already.” 

“Mhmm, yeah, yeah I know,” Soonyoung said while nodding his head. “It’s just that... wow my soulmate has no taste,” he added with a playful pout on his lips.

Seokmin laughed loudly upon seeing his friend’s face and hearing the sulky tone of his voice. “No Soonyoung, people who listen to classical music have incredible personalities.”

Suddenly, Soonyoung thought of something, making his face light up. Seokmin saw the sudden shift on Soonyoung’s expression, and he immediately knew that his friend was planning something. What Soonyoung was planning to do might be a bit petty, but he wanted to do it nonetheless. Just a little something to get back at his soulmate for annoying him at this hour. 

“I’m gonna listen to country music on repeat starting today,” Soonyoung said with a smirk.

* * *

“I think my soulmate’s trying to have a song battle with me,” Jihoon immediately said the moment Mingyu stepped inside their dorm. 

“Why? Is your soulmate also listening to or playing piano? Or are they trying to piss you off with edm or rock?” 

Instead of replying, Jihoon looked at him in the eye with a sad face. Mingyu then laughed so hard that he started to collapse on the floor with tears in his eyes. 

“What, wait, why? Edm or rock then?” Mingyu said in between his laughs. 

“No,” the other replied, completely done with how Mingyu was making fun of his unpleasant situation. 

“Oh no. Ooohh no. Country?” 

“Yes.” 

Upon Jihoon’s reply, Mingyu laughed again as he stood up and went beside his roommate. Knowing his friend for a long time now, he knows just how much Jihoon hates country music. 

“Stop it! They’re still playing it right now so shut up I can’t have another headache I only have one head,” Jihoon said as he stood up and went to their fridge to get a cola to cool his throbbing head. 

“Okay okay, i’ll stop. But, I don’t get why your soulmate would hate classical music to the point that they would get back at you by listening to that. Add the fact that they’re spot on. I mean, you’re soulmate already knows your most hated genre without even meeting you.”

“Your soulmate’s probably not a music major then, unlike you,” Mingyu added while attempting to get a sip from Jihoon cola, and clearly failing as he was pushed by the other towards their fridge, telling him to get his own. 

“True. But yeah, it can’t be helped. I have to practice whether my soulmate likes it or not.”

* * *

“Soonyoung,” Seokmin called his friend, who was busy playing a game on his phone.

“Hey, Soonyoung,” Seokmin called him again, but Soonyoung continued to ignore him as he was so absorbed on his game.

“Kwon Soonyoung! Listen to me or I will break your phone.”

“Okay! What what jeez,” Soonyoung said, finally looking at his roommate from across the room. 

“Aren’t you curious as to what piece your soulmate is actually playing? Who knows, if the piece is kinda complicated maybe they’re joining the competition.”

Now that he was asked about the piece playing on his head, he realized that he never really put much thought into it. Yes, he didn’t like it, but he was curious though.

“Hmm, how do I find out though? All I know is that it sounds… confusing?” Soonyoung said, though he honestly has to admit that the piece was growing on him. It no longer sounded annoying, now it sounds a lot more graceful to his ears. 

“Go try playing on the piano. Just… start pressing on the keys until something comes up. I’ll be sacrificing a few hours of my practice time just so we can get a few notes out of that piece on your head.”

“Fine. Are you ready to hear me make noise?” Soonyoung said as he walked towards their piano. Upon sitting in front of it, he started pressing all the keys starting from one end of the piano to the other. He repeated it several times just to annoy his roommate. 

“Okay now I regret giving you that chance to start playing. You shouldn’t be allowed to hold any musical instrument ever,” Seokmin said while putting on his earphones. “Let me practice after an hour, okay?”

“Yeah, khay.”

* * *

“Ooh oh okay okay wait.”

“What what let me hear,” the younger said as he took off his earphones and approached the corner of the room where Soonyoung was trying to remember in which order he pressed the keys. 

Soonyoung started playing again, messing up a bit on the first few tries, but eventually he did it again perfectly, looking at Seokmin with a proud smile. 

“What, that was three keys how am I supposed to know what that is.”

“Wait, I’ll try to put in more. But it goes like tennn ten tenenenenen nenenenenen… like that, but continuously,” Soonyoung said, full of determination in his eyes.

Seokmin laughed on how his friend tried to make out the piece he was hearing. But then it suddenly clicked on his head. He clearly remembers that piece, mainly because it was one of his favorites and it was actually one of his choices as the piece he was going to play on the competition. 

The younger immediately pushed Soonyoung off the seat before the piano and sat on it himself as the other’s butt landed softly on their carpeted floor. “Um, ow, okay you seem excited.”

“Is it this?” Seokmin said before his hands moved elegantly on the ivory keys before him. As Soonyoung heard the first few notes out of their piano, his eyes immediately glowed in excitement. Yes, he still didn’t like classical music, but there was something about this piece that made his heart flutter, making him feel safe and putting his mind at peace.

Although, there was still something missing. Maybe because Seokmin was playing it, hence it felt different. 

Soonyoung continued to just sit on the floor with his eyes closed, swaying to the melody that filled the room. He was too immersed on imagining how his soulmate’s hands looked like while shifting back and forth from one key to another that he didn’t realize that his friend already stopped playing. 

Soon enough Seokmin was snapping his fingers in front of his roommate’s face. “Soonyoung, hey, are you still alive?” Upon hearing his name, the older quickly opened his eyes and looked up at Seokmin’s amused face. 

“So, I’m guessing I was right huh?” Seokmin said with his eyebrows raised. 

“Can’t believe I’ll be watching a classical piano competition,” Soonyoung replied.

However, a day before the competition, the music suddenly stopped playing on Soonyoung’s head.

* * *

“Hey, what’s the piece called by the way? I forgot to ask you earlier,” Soonyoung asked after Seokmin was done chatting on the phone with his other friend from the same university.

“Oh, it’s by Liszt, called Liebestraum. It’s German for Love Dream or Dreams of Love,” Seokmin replied as he put his phone down. 

Soonyoung thought back to how he reacted towards the song as it was being played by Seokmin. He realized that the title really fit perfectly to how he felt while listening. It was like his head was up above the skies with the feeling of the sun up close, not burning heat but comforting warmth instead. It made him want to love someone.

Upon knowing the title of the song, he began to listen to other people’s versions of it. Yet there was still no dreamy warm feeling that came to him. All of them sounded good, but it just wasn’t up par with how it was being played by his future lover. His soulmate just hit the notes different. There was something about the way his soulmate pressed the keys, soft and controlled, not too harsh yet still making a strong impact. 

Soonyoung thought of his soulmates hands, how they would glide on the keys as they played the piece. He also though of how their head would sway to their own playing. Most importantly though, were their eyes. He wonders how his soulmate’s eyes would look like as they scan the piano in front of them, and as they shift from looking at their right hand to their left. 

All these thoughts made Soonyoung’s heart beat faster in excitement, making it harder for him to sleep at night with the thought of seeing his soulmate play for the first time. It made him all soft that he even stopped playing that country song to piss off his soulmate. He figured that the other was probably working hard, so Soonyoung gave him encouragement through stopping the repeated guitar strumming on his soulmate’s head. 

So, when the day before the competition came and he didn’t hear a single run through of Liebestraum on his mind, he began to worry. 

“Chill, your soulmate might be taking a break. I know some people who also do that; taking a break a day before an exam and such,” Seokmin said as he positioned himself again before the piano after taking a bathroom break. “Maybe you’ll hear the playing first thing in the morning tomorrow, so calm down please if you keep talking to me I won’t be able to practice well.”

All Soonyoung can do was to agree with what his friend said, yet he continued to think about his soulmate’s whereabouts.

* * *

Jihoon’s thumb hurt like hell. 

Last night, as celebration for Mingyu’s successful film shoot that just finished recently after a month long worth of preparation, Jihoon decided to cook for them. He even went to the mart a few hours ago to pick up ingredients to remake his mom’s lasagna recipe. Besides, it was also a celebratory meal after Jihoon finally perfected the timing on the final few seconds of Liebestraum, of which he’s been messing up for a few days now.

So, when Mingyu was welcomed with the sound of chopping, his face showed immediate shock.

“Who are you?’ Mingyu asked, with his mouth still wide open as he stared at Jihoon who was busy cutting up onions and trying his best to not tear up while doing it. 

“Yes Mingyu, I am Jihoon and I am cooking,” he replied while peeking at the water he was waiting for to boil. “Go ahead and just make yourself comfortable while I finish this. I should’ve started a bit early though.”

Mingyu proceeded to sit on one of the chairs before their small dining table and took off his shoes. “Jihoon, we both know that you suck at cooking, so please let me help,” the younger said as he shrugged off his coat and hanged it on the chair he was previously sitting on. 

Upon hearing Mingyu approach, Jihoon looked back and said, “Nah, I can handle things. I’m using my mom’s re- OW!”

Mingyu’s eyes widened as he approached his roommate faster. Jihoon looked back at his hand as winced in pain, seeing that he accidentally cut his thumb as he was mincing the garlic. Mingyu immediately grabbed a towel and gave it to Jihoon, the other applying it with pressure to his thumb as soon as it was handed to him. 

Then, Mingyu immediately reached for his phone and called Seokmin, one of his closest friends in Art Crit.

“Hey, uh, Seokmin?” Mingyu said before putting the call on speaker mode so Jihoon can hear.

“Oh hi Mingyu! Why’d you suddenly call me?” the voice on the other line said. 

“You remember the time when you told me about how you cut your finger last year?” 

“Yeah why? Did you cut yours?” the other replied with a chuckle, making Mingyu laugh and earning a glare from Jihoon.

“No, actually my roommate did while he was cooking.”

After a few minutes of Seokmin calmly guiding both Mingyu and Jihoon in treating the wound, Mingyu finally ended the call with Seokmin after both of them have thanked him multiple times, even stating that they will do Seokmin a favor soon to make up for helping them. 

At the end, Mingyu continued to prepare the lasagna, while Jihoon worried about the performance the day after tomorrow. 

“Well, it’s okay to back out. Clearly you won’t be able to play with that left thumb of yours.”

“I know, but the extra credit though,” Jihoon replied with a pout on his face, staring at Mingyu as he finally put the lasagna in the oven. “It’s okay just do better on your upcoming tasks. You’ll be fine. Go rest those hands tomorrow. You’ve been playing a lot since last week.”

* * *

“Oh hey Jihoon, by the way...” Mingyu started as he turned to face his friend who was on the other side of the room. “Seokmin, the guy that helped us with your wound yesterday, he’s joining the competition tomorrow.”

Jihoon hummed in response, already lying down on his bed and preparing to sleep. 

“I figured that we should go support him tomorrow, you know, in return for helping us. I’ll also introduce you to him.”

“Sure, so I can thank him again too, personally this time.”

* * *

“Seokmin, no playing today,” Soonyoung said as soon as he saw that Seokmin was already awake. 

“It’s 8 am and you don’t have morning classes today. Since what time have you been up?”

“Since 6. I wanted to make sure since I might miss something while I’m asleep,” Soonyoung said with his head down as Seokmin sat up and rubbed his eyes. “What if my soulmate was just playing for fun and they aren’t really gonna join…” 

“Don’t lose hope though,” the younger said, though he was also having second thoughts about the whole thing.

“But….” Soonyoung said, trying to find more words on how he would express his worries towards his soulmate. What if his soulmate got into an accident? What if he or she now has amnesia? What if...

Seokmin stood up and headed to his friend who was now completely lying down on his bed face first, faking a sob that was muffled by his sheets. “Look, I’m not gonna get your hopes up, but the day isn’t over yet. It was obvious that your soulmate was preparing to play for the competition, with the amount of times it was played plus how you heard them screw up a few times. We’ll see later okay?” Seokmin said with a pat on Soonyoung’s head.

Seokmin then stood up and started to prepare for his first class of the day. “See you later?”

“See you,” Soonyoung said, though he was now having doubts on whether he should go later.

* * *

“Hey Seokmin!” Mingyu shouted as they entered the auditorium. Seokmin was near the foot of the stage, chatting with the other participants regarding what piece they were going to play later. Upon seeing Mingyu, along with another guy next to him, Seokmin immediately waved and motioned for them to come over. 

“This is Jihoon, the one who had the garlic incident,” Mingyu said with a laugh as he pointed at Jihoon who raised his bandaged thumb towards Seokmin. “Hey, nice to finally meet you. Thanks again for the help. Good luck today!”

“Thanks! And don’t mention it. I think I should be the one thanking you for coming here. Not a lot of people like classical music so I’m really surpirsed that you guys wanted to come.”

Mingyu’s ears perked up when he heard what Seokmin said. “Oh, Jihoon here was actually supposed to play, but due to his finger….”

“Yeah, playing with a thumb less is impossible, so I backed out two days ago,” Jihoon continued for Mingyu, glancing at the piano in the middle of the stage, feeling a bit sad knowing that he couldn’t play what he’s been practicing for days. 

Seokmin immediately sensed a connection. Backed out two days ago? Soonyoung stopped hearing yesterday. Was it possible that he was already talking to his best friend’s soulmate? Or was he just reaching?

“Really? Sorry to hear that. But what was the piece you were supposed to play though?” Seokmin asked.

“Ah, it was- “ 

“Seokmin-ssi! We’re about to start in a few minutes, please come to the backstage now with the others,” called one of the event organizers. 

“Sorry, I have to go now. I hope you both enjoy!” Seokmin said before turning his back from the two. 

“Ah! Seokmin! Do you have any other friends who came to watch you today? So Jihoon and I can sit next to them,” Mingyu called to Seokmin who was already a few steps away from them.

“I have one, but he’s still busy with some meeting so he’ll be fifteen minutes late.”

“Okay, tell him to find us. Fighting!”

* * *

Soonyoung ran towards the auditorium. It was a good thing that Seokmin wasn’t the first one to perform since his group meeting extended for a few minutes. Although he knew that there was a small chance that he would hear his soulmate today, he was still excited to see Seokmin since he saw just how much his friend improved. 

As he entered the hall, he immediately checked his phone to read Seokmin’s text again. 

_yo yo yo wer r u two of my friends came today btw  
I think they’re sitting on the middle row  
tall one wearing a bucket hat is Mingyu  
other one with the yellow shirt is Jihoon,,, go sit with them! c u :))_

Soonyoung immediately spotted the guy with a bucket hat with how he stood out among the audience. What Seokmin said was right, the dude was really tall, and buff too. 

Soonyoung immediately approached them as he passed other people who were silently watching. He went straight to the empty chair next to Mingyu. 

“Hey? You must be Mingyu?” Soonyoung said as he sat down while tapping the other’s shoulder to grab his attention. 

“Oh, hi! You must be Seokmin’s friend. Nice to meet you.”

“Yeah, I’m Soonyoung. Nice to meet you too,” he replied. Mingyu smiled and went back to watching the performer on stage. Soonyoung tried to glance at the other guy beside Mingyu, the one named Jihoon. But due to Mingyu’s built, he couldn’t see much of the other. The guy seemed to be too busy watching anyway that he didn’t even realize that he was there, so Soonyoung just ignored it and watched instead. 

Soon, the piece ended and the announcer thanked the girl who was playing earlier. 

“Next performer, third year Theater Arts student Lee Seokmin.”

* * *

Seokmin entered the stage looking all serious, but when he faced the audience, he beamed a smile that reached his eyes. Soonyoung could tell that Seokmin was very excited, considering that this was also going to be the first time in a long time that he would be playing the piano for a lot of people again. 

Soonyoung, Mingyu, and Jihoon immediately waved their arms vigorously so Seokmin could see them and feel their support. It worked since Seokmin pursed his lips in an attempt to stop himself from laughing. 

Seokmin sat on the leather piano bench and took a deep breath, taking his time to relax his senses before finally setting his fingers on the keys. 

Soonyoung’s eyes sparkled as the man onstage completely transformed into a different person. He was no longer seeing his childhood best friend turned college roommate Seokmin with the smiley eyes and the enthusiastic aura. He was now witnessing Lee Seokmin, the passionate theater arts student with the love for music and the eagerness to let people hear his fondness of it. 

Seokmin has always known his entire life that he wanted to do something related to music. Since he and Soonyoung met on grade school through the same interest in soccer, he has never shut up in reiterating how much he wants to be a singer someday. So, he went to vocal lessons and even took piano courses in order to familiarize himself and get more used to sheet music.

Although, there was a bit of change when high school came and he became exposed to the world of theater. From then on, he has made it his mission in life to star in a musical stage someday, or to maybe direct one too. 

And so playing the piano in front of an audience became very nostalgic of sorts for Seokmin, since it brought him back to how he started with his dream, and made him realize just how far he’s come from the kid who would only daydream about life as a theater arts major to actually being one.

* * *

Jihoon was amazed. 

He had taken piano lessons when he was a kid, since his parents wanted him to be one of those music geniuses that would win competitions and take home trophies every month. But as time passed, he realized that that was the kind of life his parents want him to have, and not the one that he wants. He became interested in making music instead, and decided that he wants to pursue it. In the end his parents agreed, with the constant reassurance from him that he might take trophies too in this platform.

Thus, as someone who had that kind of background, he’s really impressed. He didn’t know why but he felt a sense of proudness, as if him and Seokmin have been friends for a long time. 

Now that he thinks about it, the piece that Seokmin was playing was actually one of the first few that he appreciated when he was taking his lessons back then. 

“It’s called Love’s Sorrow, by Kreisler. I think it’s a piece to be played with a violin, but Rachmaninoff arranged the piano version of it,” Jihoon said absentmindedly. He only realized that he blurted it out loud after Mingyu replied, “Oh, cool. I heard it on that anime once.”

* * *

Soonyoung was too focused on wondering how Seokmin could move his hands that fast so he was startled when that Jihoon guy suddenly said something. 

Wow what a nerd, was the first thing that came up on Soonyoung’s mind. He still doesn’t understand why people who listen to classical music exists, but he sure as hell doesn’t feel bothered by them now at all. He in fact respects them, and is even amazed, seeing how much Seokmin’s killing the piece and playing it as if he composed it himself. Add the fact that his soulmate is also really good in playing. 

Soon enough, Seokmin finally ended his piece and he stood up with a proud smile on his face. As he gave his final bow, he glanced at where his friends were, waving their hands again and mouthing their congratulations. After a final breath of relief, Seokmin finally walked backstage as the next participant was called.

* * *

After what felt like an eternity to Soonyoung (since at this point all the pieces sound the same to him), the competition finally ended with the promise of the winner results next week, and all the lights were finally lit up. The audience started to huddle towards the exit, while some waited for their friends to exit the backstage, including them who were trying to peek and see if that familiar mop of brown hair was now to be seen. Finally, Seokmin emerged and immediately started looking for them in the sea of heads before him. 

Once Soonyoung spotted his friend and they made eye contact, he instantly ran towards him. Mingyu followed with a smile on his face, while Jihoon had other plans. 

While the two ran towards Seokmin, he found himself approaching the stage, as if under a spell in which the piano invited him to play. He can hear Mingyu and Seokmin chatting along with an unfamiliar voice, yet he didn’t pay any attention to them and just proceeded to go up the stage and walked towards the piano, his friends voices becoming more distant.

As he sat on the bench, he let go of a breath that he didn’t know he was holding, and lightly placed his right hand on top of the keys. He chuckled to himself as he realized that it has been a long time since he found himself in this kind of setting, and he remembered how it felt refreshing and thrilling. He then began to play the melody on his right hand with a smile on his face as if all was right in the world.

* * *

Soonyoung enveloped Seokmin in his arms as they finally meet, Mingyu later joining and forming a group hug.

“I don’t know anything about what happened but I can tell that you nailed it!” Mingyu said as they broke apart and Soonyoung ruffled Seokmin’s hair in adoration.

“Thank you thank you. To be honest I didn’t know what I was doing either,” Seokmin replied, making them all laugh in unison. 

“But really though, congrats. And congrats to me too since now I won’t hear you play in the middle of the night,” Soonyoung responded, which made them laugh even more. 

They were all debating on where to eat together for dinner when their conversation was cut off by the soft playing of piano. Mingyu then looked at the stage and saw Jihoon playing, which earned a soft smile from him. It’s been long since he’s seen Jihoon like this and he felt his heart swell at how his friend has a soft spot for playing, even though he kept admitting back then that he hated it because his parents made him do it.

Seokmin’s eyes widdened when he heard what was playing, and he slowly turned his head towards the stage. He internally flipped at knowing that his gut feeling was right earlier, seeing that Jihoon was the one that was playing. Seokmin though that apparently, an injured thumb would not get the best of fate, as it wanted both Soonyoung and Jihoon to meet at this moment. But, speaking of Soonyoung.....

Soonyoung abruptly stopped mid-sentence as he heard the familiar tune that has been playing on his head for days. At first he even thought that he was hearing it on his head, but then he found out that he was actually hearing it through his own physical ears, since it was missing a few notes (the left hand melody). He was finally hearing it- live.

Soonyoung had his back to the stage, and he sure knows that it’s coming from there, from the way both his companions were looking at that direction. Seokmin then turned his head to Soonyoung, nodding his head as a way of urging him to look with a knowing smile on his face.

He eventually turned around and instantly stared at a pair of eyes, looking down and were shifting back and forth towards the keys of the piano before him. 

Jihoon, huh? Soonyoung thought as he saw the yellow shirt he got a gilimpse of earlier. Mingyu moved aside as Soonyoung slowly approached the person playing the piano on the stage. 

Jihoon was...smiling to himself. His raven black hair fell naturally to his forehead, gentle waves crowning his head. His eyes crinkled in a way that forms straight lines, concealing his pupils out of view. His lips quirked up slightly on the sides, barely showing his dimples. 

Soonyoung decided then and there that he loved the sight.

* * *

Jihoon tried using his left hand for a bit, but with the exclusion of using his thumb. He knew he was butchering the piece, but he still enjoyed it. It made him feel carefree knowing that there’s no pressure of the competition, and he can just have fun with the grand piano in front of him, rather than the 4 year old keyboard he had at the dorms. His foreheard wrinkled as he tried to reach the keys with just four of his left hand fingers, missing a few notes on the way. 

After a full minute of playing, he felt a presence next to him. He could tell that someone was standing near him from his peripheral vision yet he didn’t mind, figuring that it was probably Seokmin considering that he was the one here who was equally interested in playing the piano.

Though after almost a minute and a half he finally stopped playing, huffing a relieved sigh.

Said presence from earlier coughed softly and said, “Uhh.. sorry for the country music,” 

_What country music?_

Then Jihoon finally understood what that meant, making his head snap up to meet the eyes of the voice who was apologizing. 

The boy before him had brown hair, with his black roots barely visible already. With his head tilted slightly to the right, and a cheeky smile on his face, Jihoon could feel his face heat up a bit. Well, the guy before him was also wearing a black dri-fit shirt, which suits his body well. Yet, with his cute bunched up cheeks, the audacity of this man to be contrasting was being a bit too much for Jihoon to handle.

* * *

As Jihoon ended his playing, finally releasing the tension from his back and slumping into a more relaxed posture, Soonyoung immediately spoke, but he figured saying a simple hi was too boring so he brought up the annoying thing he did instead. 

Soonyoung was then taken aback by how – dare he say, cute, way his soulmate reacted. Jihoon looked up as if someone stole his wallet, all wide eyed with his forehead creased and lips slightly parted. Soonyoung could now see his eyes clearly, which made his heart pound at how he could stare at them all day. There was now also a pink blush tinting his cheeks and the tips of his ears. 

Yeah, cute, he finally decided. 

“Well, you have to make up for the amount of time you made me have a headache, and skip my practices because of it,” Jihoon finally said. Soonyoung realized that there was something better to hear than Jihoon playing the piano, and it was his voice.

“Okay. Have dinner with me?”

“Sure.”

**Author's Note:**

> thank you so much for being here!! this is actually my first au EVER so thanks for your time in reading  
> tell me your thoughts on the comments if you have some :)) 
> 
> hit me up on twt too if you want! i’m admin onigiri on svtonigo_au (i’ve also put a short socmed epilogue of this fic there!) and main stan acc is energyskincare_ 
> 
> have a nice day!


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